


I Know My Souls Freezing (Hell's Hot for Good Reason)

by Scylaire



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: And There's Only One Bed, Comfort, Cuddling, First Kiss, Fluff, Light Angst, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Making Out, Sharing Body Heat, oh no we're both cold, whatever shall we do
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-30 03:26:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18307223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scylaire/pseuds/Scylaire
Summary: After Frost Demons have managed to attack V, Nero has to do his best to keep him warm.





	I Know My Souls Freezing (Hell's Hot for Good Reason)

**Author's Note:**

> This right here is the most overused trope of all time but hey I needed an excuse for some Nero/V fluff cause lord knows there isn't enough of that and I desperately need it :(
> 
> Also thank you guys so much for all the love on my last two fics, I love y'all so much <3
> 
> Title is from 'The Judge' by Twenty one Pilots

 

The air felt brisk as soon as Nero entered the entrance of what had been a hotel.

It had continuously gotten colder the closer he got to his destination and he wondered whether there _really_ was no other way through than whatever this was. 

Something caused this and as much as he liked wiping out all kinds of demons, he absolutely despised the cold. The way it crept underneath his clothes, making his muscles clench and that much harder to move – it was extremely unpleasant, to put it lightly.

Still, he knew that he had to go on, had to get to the Qliphoth, preferably before V did. Weird guy. Thinking about him secretly made him hope that V wouldn’t be here – there was no way he could deal with an area this cold, not with that outfit of his. It looked good but that was about it. He blamed that thought on the cold around him, surely it had to influence his brain. Or maybe not, whatever. Nero probably wouldn’t ever get to know V better than the fact that he was _but two days old_ so he’d much rather focus on the mission.

Just as he rounded a corner which would lead to another set of stairs, a lizard-like creature approached him, claws sharp like daggers and ready to slash whatever got in their way. There was ice on the ground wherever the demon stepped, making it dangerously slippery.

A wave of cold that he could _actually see_ traveled through the air in rapid speed, making him jump aside only to be hit by small ice shards that bit at his face just the way the cold had done, feeling like hundreds of little needles piercing through skin. 

He had to get out of here fast, otherwise his fingers would get numb and that would be it for him, someone who relied on physical strength alone when fighting – at least right now when there was no devil breaker available to aid him. How convenient.

Fighting with one hand was difficult but fighting with numb fingers? Impossible.

Nero attempted to stagger over the film of ice beneath him, trying desperately to find something to hold onto but there was no way that would work, not with him holding Red Queen and letting that sword go would be a death-sentence in a matter of seconds.

The fight was rather risky and soon he found himself lying underneath the creature, stabbing at its stomach with harsh motions, seemingly having located its weak point. It worked and he grinned as the demon began to struggle and eventually stilled, burying him beneath its ice-cold form. That immediately wiped the grin from his face.

He got up slowly, having to pay attention to the ice that was still there, which was weird. Usually the changes in surroundings would disappear just as the demon died but this one seemed to be different and that was bad. The biting cold was still there, more intense than before now that he was covered in ice shards all over, making his teeth chatter despite him willing them not to.

No matter what that demon was, he had to keep moving – staying here would be the worst thing he could do. He had to find somewhere warm fast or at least keep walking.

Having left the icy ground by now, he continued down another hallway, noticing at least a dozen doors, most of them only leading into one big damn horde of demons he suspected. Then again, it was strangely quiet, like a forest on a winter’s day, thick blanket of snow drowning out all noises. It sure felt like that.

He quickly walked by a closed door, not even thinking about opening it and seeing whatever was hoping for a chance to kill him in this frozen hell anyway. 

Then, he heard a sound from the inside – a voice and a weird one at that. He’d recognize that annoying croaking anywhere.

As soon as he flung the door open with much more force than necessary – just in case he’d been mistaken – an angry looking Griffon flapped his wings at him.

“Took your sweet time, huh?” The demon croaked.

Nero was utterly confused. What was that bird doing here? Had V somehow succeeded in losing his pet or finally come to the conclusion that the creature was absolutely insufferable?

However, that did not seem to be the case. He followed Griffon around the corner, only to be met with a rather alarming sight.

V was sitting in one of the corners of what had once been a bedroom, legs tucked tightly against his chest and head between his knees, arms curled around himself. Shadow sat in front of him, obviously attempting to warm the man somehow but Nero quickly realized that the chances of that working were relatively slim.

“What the hell happened V?” He exclaimed, only to be left without an answer. “Hey, I’m talking to you! We have a mission so you better get up, sorry to tell you but it’s a damn bad time for napping.”

Still, no response.

If this were someone else he’d just have assumed that they were playing some kind of prank on him but V wouldn’t do that, he didn’t seem like the type. He also didn’t seem like the type to waste time sleeping or even catching a break.

Nero approached him slowly, only to be interrupted by Shadow growling at him.

“Calm down, only trying to help,” The fact that the demon was trying to protect V only caused him to worry even more. Shouldn’t he know Nero by now?

Within a few minutes he got Shadow to move away, now carefully being eyed by him sitting next to the bed.

He carefully kneeled down in front of V, putting his hand on the other’s cold, bare shoulder and shaking it slightly.

“C’mon, we gotta continue,” He spoke softly but there was no use. V stayed quiet and Nero noticed that the man was shivering _a lot._ It wasn’t just some teeth-chattering, his whole body shivered in a way that was extremely concerning, even to Nero.

“Shit. That’s not good.” 

“Oh really?” Griffon croaked, perching on one of the bedposts.

Nero turned around, fixing the demon with an angry gaze, “The fuck happened? Aren’t you supposed to protect him?”

“We did, before that huge lizard thing came and basically froze us all to ice cubes. Nothing we could do.”

“Fighting it, that’s what you could’ve done,” Nero hissed, still trying to wake up V to no avail.

He told himself that he just wanted to complete his mission and it would be more convenient to have V with him. That’s all it was. That’s why he was so worried.

“Instead of whining you could help for once.”

“Shut up and let me think.”

Nero never had to deal with a situation like this, at least not a case this severe. V obviously was out cold and that was bad. Real bad. Hypothermia would be life threatening and a bitch to get rid of, especially in a place where there was basically nothing but ice. He knew that he couldn’t let it get to that point. At least V and his pets had made it to a room that wasn’t infested by some kind of frost-creature and had even closed the door – small blessings.

 

The first thing he did was taking a chair from one of the corners and tucking it underneath the door handle. It wouldn’t help much against demons since they could appear wherever they wanted but it did make him feel just a little bit safer.

Next, he had to get V warm and quick. He couldn’t let him stay unconscious for too long, that would be far too dangerous. He looked around the sparingly furnished room, only thing being an unstable looking bed, a closet and a small table. A mattress would probably be better than the cold floor, right?

With that in mind he picked the smaller man up, cradling him upon realizing how cold he really was all while still trying to ignore the chattering of his own teeth.

He’d be lying if he said that he never wished for this to happen, only in his fantasies V had always been awake and not ice-cold. But he pushed that thought away. It would only do the opposite of helping now. 

With V still in his arms he turned around, laid him down on the bed _– he really had to get his mind out of the gutter –_ and quickly covered him with a fairly thin blanket. Nero eyed the closet across the room and prayed to every god that there would be some more blankets, pillows, _anything_ in there.

He sighed of relief when he opened the door and revealed a whole stack of blankets, grabbing them and putting them down onto the bed, beginning to place them over and around V.

Just as he was done he got interrupted by a weak voice, almost making him startle?

“…Nero? That you?” V’s speech was slurred, almost inaudible.

“Oh thank god you’re awake. Yeah it’s – it’s me, just stay there,” He said, stumbling over his words.

“Cold.”

Hearing V say that stung like hell. For Nero, V had always been invulnerable with that confidence and skill of his, never once making Nero doubt that he could take care of himself. The man had never showed any signs of weakness, remaining stoic and rational in all situation but this, this was different. 

V started to close his eyes again.

“No, look at me! Don’t close your eyes, you gotta stay awake, you hear?” He almost yelled, not wanting V to pass out again. His current state was dangerous anyway and having him awake would at least make conversation possible.

V’s hair was wet from what Nero assumed were ice shards of the demon, strands plastered against his face. Without thinking he carefully brushed them aside, all while V was looking at him with confusion, probably not knowing what was happening. Common symptom.

It was more than obvious that V was still fighting against sleep, eyes fluttering closed for longer than they should. On top of that he was shaking violently against Nero’s hand that was still buried in black locks.

“Damn it. This won’t do,” Nero cursed, mentally going over everything he’d learned about situations like this.

Trying to share body heat would be his best bet. That’s what people in movies and dumb romance novels always did, right? It _had_ to be more than some overused trope. He wasn’t really fond of that idea, worrying about making a fool out of himself but he’d be damned if he let V get worse because of his own stupid feelings. He’d just get this over and done with.

So, he began to shed his jacket, deciding to ignore Griffon’s curious gaze, before taking off his boots and placing them next to the bed.

“V, you with me?” He asked, sitting down onto the mattress, grabbing the other’s shoulder again.

“Mh, what?”

Nero sighed. “Gotta take your clothes off, sorry. Nothing else I can do.”

“But M’cold,” V answered, voice still frail and brittle, though the answer made Nero smile a bit.

“Yeah, that’s why. You’ll feel better, promise.”

With that, he got to work, helping V sit up and making sure he was supported by the headboard. It was obvious that the man was doing his best to stay awake, startling as the back of his head thumped against the wood as soon as his eyes had fallen shut for a few seconds. 

Nero did his best at undressing the other as quick as possible, struggling with his own numb fingers the whole time. He stopped at the underwear, deciding not to take it off for now. It probably would’ve been better but he didn’t want to, not when V was half-asleep and unable to do it himself. 

It was already hard enough not to stare at the numerous intricate tattoos spreading out across his body, each shed piece of clothing revealing more black ink curling in every direction. They decorated V’s body, making it look like a rare piece of art, made to be adored yet never touched.

He covered V with the blankets again as soon as he was done and began to strip himself of his own clothes, throwing them into a messy pile next to the bed. They’d most likely be frozen solid later but that was the least of his worries right now.

As soon as he’d taken his clothes off he was covered in goosebumps, shivering more than before and wondering whether this really was the best thing he could do. With clumsy fingers he pulled the layers of blankets back, quickly lying down onto the cool mattress, trying not to focus on the scratchy fabric too much.

The first thing he noticed was how icy it still was despite being buried under blankets, almost like he still stood next to the bed, the only difference was that there was no wind at the very least. There was also a total absence of body heat coming from V and it made Nero want to cry from the helplessness he felt. How could a random mission possibly end like this? Damn frost demons. 

Nero carefully scooted closer and slowly wrapped his arms around V’s cold body, feeling him shivering still which was unsurprising. The frigid cold poked at him like icy fingers and he knew that he couldn’t do anything but wait.

V grumbled quietly, tucking his head under Nero’s chin and against his chest, making himself as small as possible while intertwining their legs.

 

-

 

Nero awoke to gentle fingers threading through his tangled hair, making him enjoy the sensation and attempt to bury his face into the warm pillow beneath his head.

As soon as he realized the circumstances that had led him here however his eyes shot open and he jumped, making the hand in his hair flinch away.

Immediately, he was faced with black lines contrasting against a pale chest which made it apparent that it wasn’t in fact a pillow but a person he was resting his head on. Slowly, he tilted his head up.

“I was wondering when you’d wake up,” V said in a teasing tone, smirking down at Nero.

He lifted his head from V’s chest immediately, staring at him angrily. “Fuck you, I- I thought you were gonna die!” He spat.

“As you can see I am very much alive, thanks to you. My apologies, I didn’t want to worry you.”

Nero took in the situation, still looking at V who radiated a lot more warmth underneath the blankets now. _It worked! It actually worked!_

V did still look a little tired and lacked his usual strength but he was alive. He was here beside Nero, warm and breathing steadily, shivers having ceased into the gentle rising and falling of his chest.

He placed his head back down and absentmindedly ran his fingers along V’s tattoos, only stopping when he realized what he was doing. The cold must’ve done a real number on his brain.

Instead of V pushing him away or doing anything the like, Nero felt the arm that was wrapped around his waist tighten. His back was caressed by careful fingers, scratching ever so slightly with blunt nails, making goosebumps rise up but not because of the cold this time.

“Thank you for saving me, Nero. I didn’t pay attention for a short moment and it would’ve cost me my life if not for you. I know that,” V whispered, still running his fingers up and down Nero’s back.

His concentration was beginning to vanish fast with those soft touches. What was he supposed to reply anyway?

“S’alright. Just glad you’re okay, you looked pretty bad there.”

V huffed, “Why thank you.”

“You know I don’t mean it like that!”

“You don’t?” V trailed off, bringing his hand back to Nero’s hair, carefully taking the light strands between his fingers.

Nero leaned into the touch. Normally he’d be a lot more cautious around V, wary of what he was saying and the way it would come across but that didn’t seem to be of importance right now. They’d been lying in bed together for hours now, both half-naked and what could only be called cuddling.

V hadn’t ran off screaming by now, no, he’d done the complete opposite. The realization hit Nero even more as he felt those fingers run down the back of his neck, playing with the short hair there. He’d be damned if he didn’t take his chances now. This would either go really well or terribly wrong but then he could just do his best to end the mission on his own and then attempt to live with the embarrassment. Easy enough.

He took a deep breath, focusing on a little dot of ink on V, tracing it carefully, “I really don’t.”

Nero didn’t dare look at the other. They both knew what he meant by those words and he suddenly didn’t know whether he could handle rejection if it was coming from V. _What had he been thinking?_

He’d slain demons ten times taller than he himself was, had escaped death with an absurd amount of luck more times than he could count. Had to deal with creatures from hell that wanted nothing more than to drag him down there with them. Still, he didn’t think that in all those encounters he’d ever been as scared as he was right now with V pulling at his hair lightly, prompting him to look up.

Before he could ask what was going on, V had scooted down a little, now lying right next to Nero and looking right into his eyes, making it impossible for the other to look away.

Their lips brushed against each other’s softly and so carefully it could be considered shy.

To Nero, there was something utterly comforting in V’s kiss and in the feeling of his warm lips. The world slowly seemed to fall away as he got more courageous, pressing his hand against the other’s chest.

V cupped his jaw with both hands, resting one of them below his ear, thumb caressing his cheek with a light touch.

They kissed like that for a while, cautiously, mindful of not overstepping any boundaries. The soft press of lips became more teasing and less satisfying as the minutes went by. Nero wanted more.

He’d been so lost in his thoughts that he hardly had any time to react before V pressed his tongue against the seam of his lips and he happily granted him access. The kiss got sloppy with both of them still lying down but Nero didn’t mind at all, instead arching into V, wanting to get even closer to him and his touches.

One of V’s hands moved down from his jaw, trailing along his side before coming to a stop at his hip, resting there and making Nero tremble.

He whined and pulled V closer, roughly pushing one of his legs between V’s, feeling himself getting lost completely.

At that V slowed down before they parted, breathing hotly against each other’s lips.

Finally, Nero found the courage to look at V, immediately wishing he didn’t. The other’s eyes were hooded, lips red and swollen, giving him a disheveled look.

After a few seconds, it seemed like some kind of spell them had been broken and V nuzzled into his neck again, murmuring about wanting to sleep some more. He couldn’t blame him. Not with the warmth around them radiating comfort and safety now.

“Well, that’s one way of saying thanks I guess.”

**Author's Note:**

> come scream with me about dmc on [tumblr](https://scylaire.tumblr.com) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/scylaire)


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